Bugatti creates a starry one-off based on the Mistral and it packs 1,578HP

Bugatti has created another one-off W16 Mistral, and this time it is dedicated to the spirit of ‘The Little Prince’.

Dubbed ‘Le Retour du Jeune Prince’, this hypercar is a one-off designed for a client.

The engine is the same.

But, as you can see, everything else is different.

It took almost three years to build

Built through Bugatti’s Sur Mesure personalization program, it’s named ‘Le Retour du Jeune Prince’ – French for ‘The Return of the Young Prince.’

The title is a direct nod to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous 1943 novel, ‘The Little Prince’.

The theme heavily revolves around the moon, earth, and stars.

It features a bespoke copper-and-bronze metallic paint formulated to mimic lunar light.

Additionally, a hand-painted illustration of the prince and the fox is hidden beneath the active rear air brake, revealing itself only when the wing deploys, which is a nice Easter egg.

Inside, the celestial theme continues with constellation-inspired stitching, custom embroidered leather, and a tiny, meticulously sculpted silver rose encased directly inside the gear selector.

It took almost three years to complete this build.

It all started in October 2023, when a longtime Bugatti collector met with Jascha Straub, head of Bugatti Sur Measure, in Molsheim.

But, clearly, it was worth it.

The W16 Mistral is a farewell to the Bugatti W16

The Mistral will be the last-ever Bugatti to feature a W16.

Only 99 units will ever be produced, and because each undergoes intense personalization, no two will leave the factory identical.

Apart from the engine.

Every W16 Mistral uses an 8.0-liter W16 engine with 1,578 horsepower (1,600 PS.)

It’s been a long and great ride, but even the W16’s story had to come to an end.

The good news is the new V16 that replaced is even bigger and more powerful.